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An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections [1] for powering electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its negative terminal is the anode. [2] The terminal marked negative is the source of electrons.
An atomic battery, nuclear battery, radioisotope battery or radioisotope generator uses energy from the decay of a radioactive isotope to generate electricity. Like a nuclear reactor , it generates electricity from nuclear energy, but it differs by not using a chain reaction .
Light: Energy produced by light being absorbed by photoelectric cells, or solar power. Chemical: Energy produced by chemical reaction in a voltaic cell, such as an electric battery. Pressure: Energy produced by compressing or decompressing specific crystals. Magnetism: Energy produced in a conductor that cuts or is cut by magnetic lines of ...
"Primary" batteries can produce current as soon as assembled, but once the active elements are consumed, they cannot be electrically recharged. The development of the lead-acid battery and subsequent "secondary" or "chargeable" types allowed energy to be restored to the cell, extending the life of permanently assembled cells.
In the strictest sense, a battery is a set of two or more galvanic cells that are connected in series to form a single source of voltage. For instance, a typical 12 V lead–acid battery has six galvanic cells connected in series, with the anodes composed of lead and cathodes composed of lead dioxide, both immersed in sulfuric acid.
The spontaneous redox reactions of a conventional battery produce electricity through the different reduction potentials of the cathode and anode in the electrolyte. However, electrolysis requires an external source of electrical energy to induce a chemical reaction, and this process takes place in a compartment called an electrolytic cell.
It provides a potential of 1.5 volts. The first mass-produced model was the Columbia dry cell, first marketed by the National Carbon Company in 1896. [5] The NCC improved Gassner's model by replacing the plaster of Paris with coiled cardboard, an innovation that leaves more space for the cathode and makes the battery easier to assemble.
[1]: 89 [3] [page needed] This is in contrast to a galvanic cell, which itself is a source of electrical energy and the foundation of a battery. [ 1 ] : 64 The net reaction taking place in a galvanic cell is a spontaneous reaction , i.e., the Gibbs free energy remains -ve, while the net reaction taking place in an electrolytic cell is the ...